Having a female monarch for the first time brought forth lots of change not only within the specific era, but also the future times. Queen Elizabeth I had such a large impact on literature of the time that the literature made is called “Elizabethan literature”. Elizabethan literature refers to the work produced specifically during Queen Elizabeth I reign from 1558-1603. This time is considered one of the most “magnificent” ages of English literature. Elizabeth I reigned over a culture that cared for the arts and due to her being the first female monarch—so much changed within the arts. The change from prose, to poetry, dramas, and so much more that may go unnoticed. The literature and arts during this time grew immensely and shifted what used …show more content…
Before Elizabeth’s time, not a single theatre existed. It wasn’t until the 1570s when the first theatre was built due to the influx of Elizabethan plays. These plays were far different from those of the past—such as mystery and morality plays. The mystery plays were enactment scenes from the Bible usually performed in churches. While morality plays were allegories that dealt with the struggle between good and evil with character names like Justice. These characters did not have personalities because they were meant to represent a virtue or evil—often times these morality plays lasted hours, some even a whole day. Though when the Elizabethan era came around, many left those behind and sought out reenacting almost real stories to reach the hearts of the audience or to bring laughter to their hearts. The play writers began to care more about bringing entertainment to the audiences (Robertson 14), rather than teaching from the Bible or about a moral …show more content…
The Elizabethan period is known for its dramas and the works of William Shakespeare because each felt comfortable bringing something new and real to the world. Not only did Elizabeth allow for freedom in arts, but she also supported exploration when she allowed for Sir Francis Drake travel around the world. It is clear that Elizabeth not only loved the aspect of bringing something new, but she herself brought something new to the throne. Writers such as Shakespeare and play writers such as John Lyly were prominent in the time and were inspired by having a female monarch. Elizabeth play her own romantic part throughout life (Norton 358) and she even wrote very elegantly (358) and in a way that only made everyone love her more. This allowed for writers to not only be free to write but also they were able to bring forth emotions that many did not touch within plays. This time truly began and inspired the romantic era that would not come until 1785—over 200 years. This how much the Elizabethan era inspired not just their present time but also the future. The ripple effect that Elizabeth made does not go unnoticed, especially within